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Here are news and opinion stories educators, advocates, policy wonks and makers are talking about today:
News and Analysis:
With Vouchers, States Shift Aid for Schools to Families
A growing number of lawmakers across the country are taking steps to redefine public education, shifting the debate from the classroom to the pocketbook. Instead of simply financing a traditional system of neighborhood schools, legislators and some governors are headed toward funneling public money directly to families, who would be free to choose the kind of schooling they believe is best for their children, be it public, charter, private, religious, online or at home. (New York Times)
San Diego Superintendent Pick Has Deep Parent Ties
Call it “parental prescience.” Two years ago, a parent leader in San Diego introduced Cindy Marten, the principal of Central Elementary School in City Heights, this way: “Meet the next superintendent of San Diego Unified.” (Education Week)
Fourth Round of Investing in Innovation Kicks Off With Pre-Screening
If you have a good, innovative idea to solve a vexing education problem—and it’s relatively untested—then this pre-application process is for you. The U.S Department of Education is accepting “pre-applications” for its small $3 million development grants, which are part of a larger $150 million Investing in Innovation grantcontest. The deadline to apply is April 26. Applications for the larger “scale-up” and “validation” grants—which require more evidence of past success but can win applicants up to $25 million—will be available later this spring. (Education Week – Politics K-12)
Beleaguered? Not Teachers, a Poll on ‘Well-Being’ Finds
Recent battles over school funding, performance evaluations and tenure have given rise to public perceptions of a beleaguered teaching corps across the United States. (New York Times)
View Point:
OPINION | Education reform industry targets Twin Cities
Rupert Murdoch, the media mogul owner of Fox News and dozens of other companies around the world, recently announced he was moving into the “education” business. He said, “When it comes to K through 12 education, we see a $500 billion sector in the US alone.” (Twin Cities Daily Planet)